Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones received only five carries and caught just three passes during Sunday’s 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1.
Jones – who was recently voted a team captain – still managed to lead the team in rushing (49 yards) and finish with 76 total yards, but coach Matt LaFleur stated the obvious: his Pro Bowl running back needs the ball much more.
“Any time Aaron Jones comes out of a game with eight touches, that’s not good enough,” LaFleur said.
The Packers scored just seven points, turned the ball over twice and failed on 2-of-3 red-zone trips, including one stop on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
More Jones could have helped. He created a play of 20 or more yards – a 22-yard catch and a 29-yard run – on two of his eight touches. His 29-yard run helped set up the offense’s only touchdown drive of the contest, and he averaged almost 10 yards per touch.
Overall, the Packers ran 61 total plays from scrimmage. Jones got a touch on just 13 percent of plays.
Running back A.J. Dillon received 10 carries and caught a team-high five passes. Together, Jones and Dillon got the ball 23 times.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers attempted 34 passes and was sacked four times.
Overall, Jones and Dillon created 167 of the Packers’ 338 total yards.
The 2022 offense is very much still a work in progress. Finding more ways to get the ball to No. 33 – arguably the team’s best weapon now that Davante Admas is in Las Vegas – has to be at the very top of the to-do list entering Week 2’s showdown with the Chicago Bears. He’s a dynamic player, and anything under 15 touches in a game probably isn’t enough most weeks.
